ESO Image Feedhttps://www.eso.org/public/images/ESO Image FeedenFri, 05 Jun 2020 12:00:00 +0200METIS Preliminary Design Reviewhttps://www.eso.org/public/images/metis_pdr_may_2019/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/metis_pdr_may_2019.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>Group photo of the event "METIS Preliminary Design Review" (PDR), ESO Garching, 6–10 May 2019. More information about METIS is available <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/elt/elt-instr/metis/">on its web page</a>.</p>
Fri, 05 Jun 2020 12:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/metis_pdr_may_2019/Artistic rendering of the METIS instrumenthttps://www.eso.org/public/images/ann20016a/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/ann20016a.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>Artist depiction of the METIS instrument set to be used with the Extremely Large Telescope upon completion. METIS, short for Mid-infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph, will make full use of the giant main mirror of the telescope to study a wide range of science topics, from objects in our Solar System to distant active galaxies.</p>
Fri, 05 Jun 2020 12:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann20016a/Engineering rendering of the METIS instrumenthttps://www.eso.org/public/images/ann20016b/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/ann20016b.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>This engineering representation of METIS, which is set to be used with the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) upon completion, shows its updated design following the Preliminary Design Review of the instrument. METIS, short for Mid-infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph, will make full use of the giant main mirror of the telescope to study a wide range of science topics, from objects in our Solar System to distant active galaxies.</p>
Fri, 05 Jun 2020 12:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann20016b/The glowing sky above La Sillahttps://www.eso.org/public/images/lasilla-2019-doyen-cc/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/lasilla-2019-doyen-cc.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>The night sky glows orange above ESO’s La Silla Observatory in this stunning 360 degree panorama. The observatory is situated in the Chilean Atacama Desert to make the most of its exceptionally dark and clear skies, shown by the detailed view of the Milky Way stretched across the sky. The glow on the horizon is not caused by light pollution but occurs naturally. Energetic particles from the Sun strike the Earth’s atmosphere, causing the air to emit in visible light. Airglow on this night was especially intense, with the strong emissions of orange and red light rippling across the sky visible with the naked eye, even after the Sun had set. In the foreground of the fulldome image sits the dome of the TRAPPIST-South telescope, which discovered the famous TRAPPIST-1 system of seven Earth-sized planets.</p>
Thu, 04 Jun 2020 11:28:44 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/lasilla-2019-doyen-cc/Artist’s impression of star plagued by giant magnetic spothttps://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2009a/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/eso2009a.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p dir="ltr">Astronomers using ESO telescopes have discovered giant spots on the surface of extremely hot stars hidden in stellar clusters, called extreme horizontal branch stars. This image shows an artist’s impression of what one of these stars, and its giant whitish spot, might look like. The spot is bright, takes up a quarter of the star’s surface and is caused by magnetic fields. As the star rotates, the spot on its surface comes and goes, causing visible changes in brightness.</p>
Mon, 01 Jun 2020 17:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2009a/Spots on the Sun vs spots on extreme horizontal branch stars (artist's impression)https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2009b/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/eso2009b.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>Spots on extreme horizontal branch stars (right) appear to be quite different from the dark sunspots on our own Sun (left), but both are caused by magnetic fields. The spots on these hot, extreme stars are brighter and hotter than the surrounding stellar surface, unlike on the Sun where we see spots as dark stains on the solar surface that are cooler than their surroundings. The spots on extreme horizontal branch stars are also significantly larger than sunspots, covering up to a quarter of the star’s surface. While sunspots vary in size, a typical size is around an Earth-size planet, 3000 smaller than a giant spot on an extreme horizontal branch star.</p>
Mon, 01 Jun 2020 17:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2009b/Other Worldshttps://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2022a/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/potw2022a.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p dir="ltr">One of the most exhilarating results in modern astronomy is the knowledge that the Universe is full of worlds beyond our Solar System, known as <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/science/exoplanets/">exoplanets</a>. Increasing evidence suggests that the majority of stars in the Universe have planets whizzing around them; one such system can be seen in this majestic <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw/">Picture of the Week</a>. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The antennas here are among the 66 that make up the <a href="http://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/alma/">Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array</a> (ALMA), located on the Chajnantor plateau in Chile. Two bright stars sit directly above the centre antenna; the brightest of these two stars is a triple star system known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Centauri">Alpha Centauri</a>. An <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1629/">exoplanet named Proxima b was recently discovered</a> orbiting within the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumstellar_habitable_zone">habitable zone</a> of one these three stars (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxima_Centauri">Proxima Centauri</a>) by ESO telescopes and other facilities. As Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to Earth, Proxima b is the closest exoplanet to Earth ever discovered.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Another world can be seen in this stunning sky — this time, one a little closer to home. At the top of the image, two bright, reddish objects sit just outside the main river of the Milky Way. The one on the left is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antares">Antares</a> — a red giant star in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpius">Scorpius</a> — and the one on the right is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn">Saturn</a>, the spectacular ringed gas giant planet.</p>
Mon, 01 Jun 2020 06:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2022a/Screenshot of ESOcast 222https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann20015a/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/ann20015a.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>Screenshot of ESOcast 222 (ESOcast 222: Ten Fascinating Paradoxes about the Universe). Watch it <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/videos/esocast222a/">here</a>.</p>
Wed, 27 May 2020 11:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann20015a/Southern Stargazinghttps://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2021a/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/potw2021a.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p dir="ltr">Posing here under the splendours of the southern sky is <a href="https://babaktafreshi.com/">Babak A. Tafreshi</a>, one of ESO’s <a href="http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/photo-ambassadors/">Photo Ambassadors</a>. Babak is standing on part of the massive <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mi%C3%B1iques">Miñiques</a> volcanic complex, located in the Antofagasta region of Chile’s Atacama Desert. This region is also home to ESO’s Paranal Observatory, where the <a href="http://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal/">Very Large Telescope </a>(VLT) gazes up at the sky, observing exotic phenomena such as <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/science/grb/">gamma-ray bursts</a>, <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/science/exoplanets/">extrasolar planets</a>, and <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/science/gc/">supermassive black holes</a>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Each of the VLT’s constituent telescopes can detect objects roughly four billion times fainter than the naked eye can see, giving it a far richer view of the Universe than is available to humans. However, the skies above the Atacama are some of the clearest and darkest in the world — so it’s little wonder that Babak stands in awe beneath it all. </p>
<p>The spectacular swirl of blue above Babak’s head is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Magellanic_Cloud">Large Magellanic Cloud</a> (LMC), a dwarf galaxy that orbits the Milky Way. It is part of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Group">Local Group</a> and is the third closest galaxy to us, lying approximately 163 000 light-years away. The LMC used to be classified as an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irregular_galaxy">irregular galaxy</a>, but astronomers now think it was originally a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barred_spiral_galaxy">barred spiral</a> galaxy before its shape was distorted by the gravitational influence of the Milky Way and the nearby <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Magellanic_Cloud">Small Magellanic Cloud</a> (SMC). A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magellanic_Bridge">bridge of gas</a> filled with protostars connects the SMC to the LMC, providing evidence of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_force">tidal interactions</a> between the two galaxies.</p>
Mon, 25 May 2020 06:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2021a/Location of AB Aurigae in the constellation of Aurigahttps://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2008e/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/eso2008e.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>This chart shows the location of the AB Aurigae system. This map shows most of the stars visible to the unaided eye under good conditions and the system itself is marked with a red circle. </p>
Wed, 20 May 2020 14:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2008e/SPHERE image of the inner disc around AB Aurigaehttps://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2008b/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/eso2008b.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p dir="ltr">This image shows the inner region of the disc around the young AB Aurigae star, where ESO’s Very Large Telescope has spotted signs of planet birth. The ‘twist’ (in very bright yellow) marks the spot where a planet may be forming. This twist lies at about the same distance from the AB Aurigae star as Neptune from the Sun. </p>
<p>The image was obtained with the VLT’s <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/vlt-instr/sphere/">SPHERE instrument in polarised light</a>.</p>
Wed, 20 May 2020 14:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2008b/SPHERE images of the AB Aurigae system (side by side)https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2008c/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/eso2008c.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p dir="ltr">Images of the AB Aurigae system showing the disc around it. The image on the right, a zoomed-in version of the central part of the image on the left, shows the inner region of the disc. This inner region includes the ‘twist’ (in very bright yellow) that scientists believe marks the spot where a planet is forming. This twist lies at about the same distance from the AB Aurigae star as Neptune from the Sun.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The images were obtained with the <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/vlt-instr/sphere/">SPHERE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope in polarised light</a>.</p>
Wed, 20 May 2020 14:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2008c/SPHERE image of the disc around AB Aurigaehttps://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2008a/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/eso2008a.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p dir="ltr">This image shows the disc around the young AB Aurigae star, where ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has spotted signs of planet birth. Close to the centre of the image, in the inner region of the disc, we see the ‘twist’ (in very bright yellow) that scientists believe marks the spot where a planet is forming. This twist lies at about the same distance from the AB Aurigae star as Neptune from the Sun.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The image was obtained with the VLT’s <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/vlt-instr/sphere/">SPHERE instrument in polarised light</a>.</p>
Wed, 20 May 2020 14:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2008a/SPHERE images of the AB Aurigae system (side by side, annotated)https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2008d/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/eso2008d.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>The images of the AB Aurigae system showing the disc around it. The image on the right is a zoomed-in version of the area indicated by a red square on the image on the left. It shows the inner region of the disc, including the very-bright-yellow ‘twist’ (circled in white) that scientists believe marks the spot where a planet is forming. This twist lies at about the same distance from the AB Aurigae star as Neptune from the Sun. The blue circle represents the size of the orbit of Neptune.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The images were obtained with the <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/vlt-instr/sphere/">SPHERE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope in polarised light</a>.</p>
Wed, 20 May 2020 14:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2008d/Wide-field view of the region of the sky where AB Aurigae is locatedhttps://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2008f/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/eso2008f.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>This wide-field view shows the region of the sky, in the constellation of Auriga, where AB Aurigae can be found. This view was created from images forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2.</p>
Wed, 20 May 2020 14:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2008f/A Galactic Ballethttps://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2020a/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/potw2020a.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>This image shows a pair of interacting galaxies known as Arp 271. Individually, these galaxies are named NGC 5426 and NGC 5427; both are spirals, and both are roughly the same size.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Some astronomers believe that these galaxies are in the process of merging to form a single entity. This interaction will create increasing numbers of new stars over the next few million years, some of which can be seen within the “bridge” of gas connecting the two galaxies. This kind of collision and interaction might also happen to our own galaxy, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_Way">Milky Way</a>, which is likely to collide with the neighbouring <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_Galaxy">Andromeda Galaxy</a> in about five billion years time.</p>
<p>These galaxies lie over 120 million light years away from us, and were discovered by the German-British astronomer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Herschel">William Herschel</a> in 1785. Herschel was a prolific scientist, also discovering both <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrared">infrared radiation</a> and the planet <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranus">Uranus</a>.</p>
<h3>Link:</h3>
<p>Previous release of the same galaxy pair: <a href="http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1035a/">http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1035a/</a></p>
Mon, 18 May 2020 06:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2020a/Solar power at Paranalhttps://www.eso.org/public/images/_H9A4533-CC/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/_H9A4533-CC.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>View from ESO’s Paranal Observatory, overlooking part of the site powered by solar panels. The clear skies and high altitude of the observatory makes it a prime location for solar energy.</p>
Tue, 12 May 2020 09:17:18 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/_H9A4533-CC/Twilight at Paranal base camphttps://www.eso.org/public/images/_H9A4564-CC/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/_H9A4564-CC.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>At over 2600m above sea level, the view at ESO’s Paranal Observatory during twilight is exceptionally clear. At this high altitude many permanent buildings and structures have been erected to provide facilities for the thousands who travel to the telescopes every year.</p>
Tue, 12 May 2020 09:16:36 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/_H9A4564-CC/The sunset roadhttps://www.eso.org/public/images/_H9A4553P-CC/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/_H9A4553P-CC.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>Sunset over the Pacific ocean from ESO’s Paranal Observatory in July 2019. The observatory road traverses the arid Atacama Desert, 120 km south of the town of Antofagasta.</p>
Tue, 12 May 2020 09:15:12 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/_H9A4553P-CC/Paranal Residenciahttps://www.eso.org/public/images/_H9A4806-CC/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/_H9A4806-CC.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>Christine Desbordes, a former Head of Logistics and Facilities Management at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile, stands in the observatory’s Residencia. The building where staff stay while observing and working on the telescopes. It’s built into the side of the mountain, Cerro Paranal, and designed to blend into the landscape.</p>
Tue, 12 May 2020 09:14:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/_H9A4806-CC/The Milky Way above Armazoneshttps://www.eso.org/public/images/_H9A4632P-FD-CC/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/_H9A4632P-FD-CC.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>This spectacular view of the Milky Way can be seen stretching across the sky above Cerro Armazones in Chile. Thanks to the exceptionally clear and dark skies, the thousands of stars and dusty clouds that make up the Milky Way Galaxy are visible in the image.</p>
Tue, 12 May 2020 09:12:28 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/_H9A4632P-FD-CC/Cover of The Messenger No. 179https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann20014a/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/ann20014a.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>Cover of The <em>Messenger</em> No. 179.</p>
Mon, 11 May 2020 17:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/ann20014a/A Celestial Self-Portraithttps://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2019a/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/potw2019a.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p dir="ltr">Some self-portraits are better than others — and this image of <a href="http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/partnerships/photo-ambassadors/">ESO Photo Ambassador</a> Petr Horálek is certainly one of the more impressive! Here, the photographer basks in the light of the glowing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_Way">Milky Way</a>, dwarfed by the scale and wonder of the view overhead.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Horálek is standing at one of the highest and driest locations on Earth, amid the vast array of antennas that make up the <a href="https://eso.org/public/teles-instr/alma/">Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array</a> (ALMA). ALMA is located on the 5000-metre-high Chajnantor plateau in the Chilean <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/images/almaosf-cc2/">Atacama Desert</a>.The array sees the Universe in wavelengths of light between infrared and radio — key to observing extremely cold and distant objects — and studies the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. ALMA probes right out to the edge of the observable Universe, and allows astronomers to explore and understand how our cosmos came to be.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The dark, clear, dry skies over Chile make the country one of the best places on Earth to observe the Universe. While professional astronomers make use of the advanced instruments located here, naked-eye observations are often just as breathtaking.</p>
<h3>Links</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.eso.org/public/images/2016-04-09-alma-fd-selfie-horalek-fd-cc/">Fisheye version of this image</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.eso.org/public/images/2016-04-09-alma-fd-selfie-horalek-eq-cc-ex/">Extended to 360 x 180 degrees (with black)</a></li>
</ul>
Mon, 11 May 2020 06:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2019a/What's on the horizon?https://www.eso.org/public/images/upr_IMG_7953-CC/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/upr_IMG_7953-CC.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>A view from inside the planetarium at the <a href="https://supernova.eso.org/">ESO Supernova Planetarium &amp; Visitor Centre</a>, which opened its doors to the public on Saturday 28 April 2018. The building is open five days a week and features planetarium screenings, tours and a permanent exhibition in both German and English. The 25-degree tilted <a href="https://supernova.eso.org/about/planetarium/">planetarium</a> dome does not just give the audience the sensation of watching the Universe, but of being immersed in it.</p>
Thu, 07 May 2020 11:16:34 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/upr_IMG_7953-CC/Location of the HR 6819 in the constellation of Telescopiumhttps://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2007b/
<img src="https://cdn.eso.org/images/news/eso2007b.jpg" border="0" align="left" /><p>This chart shows the location of the HR 6819 triple system, which includes the closest black hole to Earth, in the constellation of Telescopium. This map shows most of the stars visible to the unaided eye under good conditions and the system itself is marked with a red circle. While the black hole is invisible, the two stars in HR 6819 can be viewed from the southern hemisphere on a dark, clear night without binoculars or a telescope.</p>
Wed, 06 May 2020 14:00:00 +0200https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2007b/